In view of the rising costs of energy and the effects of global warming, it is the goal of certain government agencies and electric service providers to save energy and, in particular, electricity by improving the efficiency of equipment that utilizes electricity. Two active players in this endeavor are the California Energy Commission and the Southern California Edison Company. A program implemented in California and will likely be adopted by other states is the Refrigerant Charge and Airflow Verification Program (RCAVP).
Under the RCAVP, refrigeration systems, including Heating, Ventilation and Air Conditioning (HVAC) Systems in general, have their refrigerant charge and air flow verified and, if necessary, adjusted in order to improve efficiency and save energy. It was found that HVAC systems with TVX (thermostatic expansion valves) were just as likely as non-TVX systems to require adjustment to operate at peak or near-peak efficiency.
Based on studies, it was determined that HVAC technicians do not (or are not trained to) finely tune refrigeration systems upon installation, and that proper charge in refrigeration systems tend to degrade over time. More disturbing was the fact that HVAC technicians did not understand the relationship between refrigerant charge and operating efficiency.